In this article « Nuclear Power and Jellyfish » (SDA Bocconi Insight, La Libellula, September 2025), I use the August 2025 jellyfish invasion that shut down units at France’s Gravelines nuclear plant as a stark reminder of climate change’s real and interconnected impacts.

While nuclear power is promoted for its low-CO2 benefits, energy sovereignty, and competitiveness, it remains vulnerable to warming seas (fostering jellyfish blooms) and rivers (preventing cooling water discharge), leading to costly shutdowns.

I argue against prioritizing short-term competitiveness over ecology, highlighting invasive species as a major environmental pressure (per IPBES), alongside threats to tourism, health, and prosperity from droughts, heatwaves, and species proliferation.

I call for collaborative public-private efforts in mitigation, adaptation (e.g., upgrading plants), and conservation, urging us to heed nature’s warnings rather than ignore science.